2nd Progress Report - Part 2

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This transcription is complete

11458. Are you still keeping on your suburban daily? —I leased it and I intend to move to this place altogether.

11459. Do you find your cattle do well here? —Yes. The poison, however, is a difficulty.

11460. What kind of poison is it?—Well, I have not seen any York road poison here, although this resembles it. It is certainly bad on cattle and sheep, but horses are not affected by it. I consider that all roads in the district should be fenced. My man was trucking cattle and had to leave two on the road on account of their having obtained poison en route. I consider also that private individuals should be made to clear the poison within a chain of the road, as the seed washed down from the hill. Since I have been here five years I have lost 20 head of cattle. Another thing, I consider that a justice of the peace should be appointed in this district. I have to go either to Gingin or to Perth in order to make a declaration. (Mr. Venn suggested that application should be made to the members of the district in order to have this matter fixed up.)

11461. I have 40 acres of poison land left which I intend to get out this year. I will eventually go in for sheep, but intend to crop my land first, in order to induce the growth of grass. One difficulty we have here is a railway freights on small parcels. I should like to see these reduced.

(The witness retired.)


AT GINGIN

ALEXANDER WILLIAMSON EDGAR, grazier, "Strathalbyn," Gingin, sworn and examined:

11462. To the CHAIRMAN : I have residing in the district for 19 years. I have about 15,000 acres, including 4,000 acres at Wannamal. There are 2,500 acres at Glencoe. I have been breeding stud cattle at Strathalbyn and it is only in the past few years that I have gone in for sheep as the principle line. It is difficult to say what Strathalbyn will carry to the acres. If stocked all the year around it will take it all its time to carry a sheep to the acre. I think it will carry 3,000 for three or four months, and then I have to cut my sheep down. I have about 1,000 there now.

11463. What can you carry on the 8,000 acres on the river?—It would not carry 1,000 when I took it up, but I have 1,500 sheep there now, and it will carry these on account of the improvements effected.

11464. And the Wannamal country?—The carrying capacity of that property is about 1,000 sheep. Unfortunately "rickets" occur in the stock here, and I bought the property at Wannamal in order to avoid this trouble, I should like to give you as much information as I can on this matter. If I bring sheep here from any other district except Yatheroo in the first year the lambs are all right. If I keep them here the next year I have five per cent. affected with rickets; the next year about ten or 12 per cent., and the next year 20 per a cent. In regards to cattle, the calves start scouring, and then they begin to get deformed, principally in the joints.

11465. By Mr. Venn: At what age does it attack the lambs?—They are sometimes dropped "ricketty," and can not stand on there feet. I have had 33 per cent. of "ricketty" lambs, but I changed them now to the Wannamal property, and in the manner have avoided the trouble. I have sought all the expert advise obtainable in Western Australia, and though they have all tried to solve the problem they have never got any further. I would like to draw your attention to this point. Where the Moore river runs into the Gingin brook there are two farms. One man there get rickets in his stock, and the others does not. You would not think there was any difference in the properties at all, but the properties are situated on opposite sides of the brook. It seems to me that this might be a point at which scientific research might commence.

11466. Do animals recover from the "rickets"?—No. I have even hade sheep dog pups affected.

11467. By the CHAIRMAN: Has dairing been tried in this district?—Yes. Mr. Gooch tried it. He had two men at different times, on his place, and both of them gave up.

11468. By Mr. VENN: these flats should be able to grow artificial crops well?—Yes. Maize, for instance, grows particularly well.

11469. Why do they not put these flats to better use?—The bulk of the men around here are poor and have been struggling along for the past 40 years. The men who came here with money came to make homes and they are improving their properties. We have all done a certain amount of improvement.

11470. Is there any fruit growing done here? — Not much. This district had a great reputation for fruit, but there are a number of failures. There are more places where fruit will not grow than there are places where it will succeed. I planted about 100 orange trees, but they practically all died. Up up to four or five year old trees do well. Then they seem to die out.

11471. Do the artificial grasses do well?—paspalum grows particularly well along the brooks.

11472. By Mr. VENN: Do you no anything about that settlement at Wannamal amongst the poison country?—I have poison on my own land there.

11473. Do you think those men will make a success of farming?—It is doubtful. The poison can be got over by putting men on to pull it and then stocking heavily, but still the small farmers can not do this. He cannot afford to put sheep on with the chance of losing them.

11474. What is the character of this country?— some of it is very good land. It is some of the finest wool-producing country in this state.

11475. By the CHAIRMAN: This district, I take it, is devoted to gazing?—Yes, but one of the biggest drawbacks is the rickets, as I said before. since I have had the Wannamal property I have been breeding English Leicester and merino cross and they do particularly well.

11476. How much country do you estimate there is in the good match at Gingin?—About 15,000 acres. This country is very similar to Yatheroo. What should be done, in my opinion, is to send a scientist down to the farmers that I have referred to and let him commence his investigation there. These properties belong to Messrs. Gee and McCormack.